If you asked me who is playing this weekend for Super Bowl I honestly would only be able to name one of the teams – and only because of all the major love or hate for this particular team do I even know that they are playing. Super Bowl is fun, but for me it’s not about the football. I’ve never been a big NFL fan but I do enjoy watching sports and participating in sport watching festivities that include food and beverage so there’s that.

Anyone else feel me here?

We all need good appetizer recipes to put out during Super Bowl and if you can throw in a few healthier ones even better! Here are a few of my favorite healthy appetizers I think would be a hit on Sunday whether you are hosting a party at your house or going to watch somewhere and need to bring a dish.

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This post is created with America’s Dairy Farm Families and Importers, in partnership with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. However, the views and opinions included are my own.

With the holidays and holiday entertaining in full swing, appetizer recipes are in high demand right now. My favorite type of get together during the holiday is one that is laid back and full of finger foods and cocktails.

If you are a mushroom lover like I am, then you probably get excited when you see a plate of stuffed mushrooms included in the spread at a party. Not only do I love eating stuffed mushrooms, but I enjoy coming up with new ideas for fillings every time I make them. For these Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms, I kept it simple and used artichokes along with cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. Each bite is filled with cheesy goodness!

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If you asked my family what they want to eat on Game Day, they will more than likely answer burgers. We tend to grill burgers at least once a week, especially in the fall when the weather in Florida is actually comfortable to grill out in. I love playing around with burger creations, and these Italian Turkey Sausage Sliders were most definitely a hit and will be making a regular appearance on the burger rotation at our house.

What’s great about these burgers are that they are lighter than your typical burger, for a few reasons. For one, they are smaller (hence the term sliders). They are also made with a blend of leaner ground turkey sausage and chopped mushrooms using the Blend method. The Blend method adds chopped mushrooms to the meat mixture, enhancing the texture and flavor while lightening them up and adding nutrients. Read more about how blending mushrooms into your meals makes them better here.

Grab my recipe for these juicy Italian Turkey Sausage Sliders over on The Mushroom Channel blog today!

You still have time until the end of the month to share your own blended burger creations on Instagram by tagging your photo with #GameDayBlend for a chance to win a pretty sweet Tailgate Prize Pack! See details here.

(Disclosure:  I am in a partnership with The Mushroom Council and am compensated for my time in creating recipes for their blog. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Aggie’s Kitchen!)

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Friends, I have a new favorite salad to share with you. It’s not your typical “green” salad but instead a savory Marinated Mushroom and Chickpea Salad. It’s really the best kind of light and savory food for this summer heat in my opinion.

I’ve already made this dish 3 times this summer and plan to make it again in the next week. I’ve enjoyed it on it’s own for a light lunch as well as a side dish for one of our grill nights. It’s great if you are looking for a vegetarian option to serve at a barbecue or bring to a picnic. I love storing it in a very large mason jar – it gives you the opportunity to give it a little shake before serving so that the marinade gets distributed to all the mushrooms and chickpeas. Plus, food in a jar is always nicer to look at, especially if you are bringing it to a potluck – just pour out into a bowl and serve!

If you are a mushroom lover, please try it and let me know what you think!

You can find the recipe here on The Mushroom Channel today – I’ve partnered up with them this year to share my love of mushrooms by creating delicious recipes for their blog!

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Friends, what you are looking at has been my lunch/dinner for 3 days last week. I think it’s safe to say that I’m completely hooked on these Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms and the best part? They literally take like 15 minutes to make.

This recipe for Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms was created by Katie of Mom to Mom Nutrition and can be found in the Healthy Family Classics cookbook from my dear friends Produce For Kids. The cookbook is filled with healthy, simple recipes that you’ll enjoy making for and with your family. Not only is it a great cookbook to have in your collection, but you can feel good knowing that 100% of the proceeds from this cookbook go towards helping end child hunger in our nation through Feeding America‘s children’s programs. Produce for Kids is generously providing 3 copies of the cookbook for me to give away today to 3 lucky readers – see below the recipe for details.
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In need of last minute appetizer ideas for Easter? Well you are in the right place…

For some reason, when I’m hosting any holiday meal, appetizers (finger foods, snacks, munchies…whatever you want to call them) seem to fall way low on the priority list as far as menu planning. It’s not because I don’t love them, they are actually my favorite part of any meal and I personally could eat a whole shlew of apps and happily forgo the rest of the food any day. But if I’m making the main meal, I usually get so preoccupied with that part of the meal I tend to forget the easy stuff like apps and snacks! However, if I’m planning to bring a dish to a holiday get together, I love to bring a dip or two with fresh veggies and pita chips.

I’m a snacky kind of girl – put some pickled or fresh veggies, dips, chips, cheese (like the one up there) and stuffed mushrooms in front of me and I will snack happy all day long.

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Click here to pin this Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Mushroom Bolognese recipe.

Spaghetti squash is back in my life thanks to my friend Katie’s recent post on Facebook. Why have I never thought to roast it whole in the oven like that? It makes it so much easier than struggling to try and cut it and fit it into a dish in the microwave. Yes, it takes about an hour (give or take) but once it’s in the oven that’s it. After it cooks and softens all you have to do is slice it longways, scoop out the seeds and fork out the strands – easy!

(Or – slice it into rings like my friend Beth recently posted about. Rings = longer strands that actually look like spaghetti. Genius! I’m trying this next time. But roasting it whole first.)

If you don’t have time to roast it in the oven and have an instant pot, here is how to cook spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot!

My favorite way to eat spaghetti squash is with a hearty tomato based sauce (like this one). I’ll never tell you that spaghetti squash will take the place of pasta, but if you are trying to cut back on calories, carbs or whatever – then this Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Mushroom Bolognese is for you. To me, it’s the next best thing to sitting down to a plate of pasta (and feeling really good about it).

Here are a few more healthy dinner ideas for you.

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This Walnut and Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms recipe is sponsored by Fisher Nuts.

Stuffed mushrooms are an appetizer that always grabs my attention at a party. If you are a mushroom lover, like me, you probably feel the same. The ideas for stuffing mushrooms are endless, so many combinations to play with, a couple of my personal favorites are these Mediterranean Stuffed Mushrooms and these Spinach and Toasted Pine Nut Stuffed Mushrooms. Well, you can officially add these Walnut and Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms to my favorites list.

The ingredients for the stuffing are simple, which is always best. When I was in NY with Fisher Nuts and Chef Alex last month I was so inspired by the use of such simple and fresh ingredients in all the recipes we tasted. One of my favorite recipes I was able to try was Chef Alex’s Walnut Stuffed Cherry Halves. These little bites included walnuts, arugula, Parmesan and balsamic vinegar and were true perfection. Chef Alex mentioned that she likes to use arugula in recipes as she would an herb and that really stuck with me. I am a huge lover of arugula salads but was inspired to use arugula a little different this time when I included it in the Walnut and Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushroom recipe.

The mushrooms come together pretty easily and can be prepped ahead and cooked later. Just stuff them as you would, and place them carefully in a large tupperware container until you are ready to cook and serve. They cooked up fast, in just 10 minutes, so they are a great to serve to friends and family if you are entertaining over the holidays. They are also vegetarian which is always a nice option to have so that everyone can enjoy them.

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So for the last few weeks we’ve been hearing a lot of bird chirping and singing throughout the house. At first I just thought there were some loud birds hanging around outside the windows but I am pretty sure they are nested up at the top of our chimney. Some mornings they are seriously having a party up there. Bird noises fill up and and echo through the house and I have to say…I’ve been kind of liking it. It makes our home feel a little Nature Channel-ish but also very Disney-movie like. It’s keeping things interesting around here.

On a slightly more serious note, a few things have crossed my mind. Are they going to stay here forever? Will we be able to light a fire when a cold front comes through? I don’t want to kick them out, but one of our favorite things about our new house is the fireplace and feeling all cozy and making s’mores with it lit on a cool night. Does anyone have experience with this situation? I’d love to hear your thoughts. 🙂

Let’s talk soup now.

It’s not a secret that I regularly make soup. I try to make soup once a week because I find it such a convenient and healthy option when it comes to quick lunches or dinners on busy school nights. This Slow Cooker Italian Chicken, Mushroom and Barley Soup was loved by my husband and kids (2 out of 3 kids that is, one cringes when I mention soup 😉 ). It’s packed with hearty vegetables, shredded chicken and barley that will fill you up in the best way possible. If you’re a mushroom lover like I am, then you’ll especially love this one!

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